Introduction
I want to work in schools like Fred Assam Elementary and East Elementary. The first school is located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and is a rural public school. The second school is located in Tillamook, Oregon; this school is also shared. Oregon is one of the largest Pacific states in the United States, located in the country’s northwest. Tillamook is located in northern Oregon, 74 miles west of Portland (Oregon Discovery, 2019). As the largest city in the eponymous district, it is also its business and administrative center. I would never want to live and work in a big city, and therefore Tillamook is perfect for me. Sioux Falls is a much larger town, but still, its population does not match the population of the metropolis.
East Elementary School is an educational institution in which children thoroughly learn Spanish. At the same time, almost a third of the students are ethnic Spaniards. I know this language very well and have always dreamed of communicating with native speakers in it. I would not want to teach in a large city. I am more interested in such small schools as East Elementary School, where I will have the opportunity to educate primarily young children. Fred Assam Elementary seemed an interesting choice since the educational institution itself is located far from the city center. I love the suburban lifestyle, and it seems essential to help children who live far from the city center to help them learn and discover the world around them. I myself studied in a small and not very developed school, and I remember how much the lack of teachers affected the quality of education. I would not want the school’s location to determine the possibility or, accordingly, the impossibility of acquiring knowledge by children.
East Elementary School
I would like to start the analysis with East Elementary School. According to statistics, the number of students at this institution is 539; there are 257 girls out of 282 boys (National Center for Education Statistics, 2021a). The school has two American Indian students, two Asians, two blacks, 150 Hispanics, 3 Native Hawaiians, 348 white students and 32 people of mixed race (National Center for Education Statistics, 2021a). There are 165 students in the fourth grade, 191 students are in the fifth grade, 183 are in the sixth grade (National Center for Education Statistics, 2021a). The number of full-time teachers (FTE) is 26.74, while the student to teacher ratio is 20.16 (National Center for Education Statistics, 2021a). Two hundred twenty-four students have free lunch available, and 38 pupils are entitled to lunch at a reduced price (National Center for Education Statistics, 2021a). The school belongs to Tillamook County and is classified as a regular school.
The next analyzed school is Fred Assam Elementary, located in Sioux Falls. According to statistics, the number of students at Fred Assam Elementary is 538; there are 270 girls out of 268 boys (National Center for Education Statistics, 2021b). At the same time, the school does not have American Indian students. Still, there are 17 Asians, 27 blacks, 23 Hispanics, 1 Native Hawaiian, 448 white students, and 20 mixed-race people (National Center for Education Statistics, 2021b). There are 133 students in the kindergarten, 107 students are in the first grade, 95 students are in the second grade, 105 – in the third and 98 – in the fourth (National Center for Education Statistics, 2021b). The number of full-time teachers (FTE) is 31.68, while the student to teacher ratio is 16.98 (National Center for Education Statistics, 2021b). Sixty students have free lunch available, and 24 pupils are entitled to lunch at a reduced price (National Center for Education Statistics, 2021b). The school belongs to Minnehaha County and is considered to be medium in size.
East Elementary School’s mission is to provide high-quality education focusing on students’ academic and social development. The school’s strategic plans include building mutually beneficial relationships with local agencies and organizations. It is also supposed to prevent discrimination in schools and help those students who experience learning difficulties. The average number of students per class is 22 children, with seven class teachers at each grade level (Rhodes, 2021). The school runs a federally funded curriculum, which aims to support English learners. East Elementary School’ employs twenty-one teachers in my academic disciple. The teacher salary schedule is determined according to the agreement between Tillamook School District and Tillamook Education Association ($38,284 – $56,221 depending on teaching background) (Tillamook School District #9, 2018). As for advantages, the school offers teacher benefits and pension contributions for government employees. In general, the school seeks to create comfortable conditions for both students and parents and teachers.
Fred Assam Elementary School’s mission is to create a positive environment for developing students’ potential, ensuring cooperation with teachers, guardians and the community in general. The school’s strategic goals include improving student achievement by improving active learning skills and motivating students to learn. The curriculum is designed to consider the individual characteristics of a particular child and his needs as much as possible. The average number of students per class is 17 children (Niche, 2017). This school employs thirty-two teachers in my academic disciple; the US $ 49,540 is the average teacher salary at Fred Assam Elementary School (Niche, 2017), calculated based on the Randon Valley School District salary schedule. As for advantages, the school provides teachers with the opportunity to receive competitive salaries; fringe benefits are granted. The remoteness from the town center makes it possible to work in more ecological clean conditions away from the city’s noise and pollution.
Fred Assam School
The advantages of Fred Assam School include small classes, location and policies pursued by this educational institution. Fewer students indicate that the teacher will have the opportunity to devote more time to specific children and their difficulties. While in large classes, it can be difficult for educators to maintain discipline and establish warm contact with kids. The remoteness from the city center is also an advantage since environmental pollution issues are becoming less acute, both for children and for teachers. The focus on measurable and controlled improvement in student performance can also be considered an advantage of this school. The increase in knowledge is the primary goal of any educational institution, even at the elementary level. The disadvantages include not too high salaries and a significant workload of teachers, judging by the student/teacher ratio.
The benefits of East Elementary School also include small classes and strategic goals pursued by this educational institution. I also found it an advantage that there is a school’s language learning support program. After all, since almost 50% of the participants are of Spanish origin (National Center for Education Statistics, 2021a), there is a risk that without proper help, they will not be able to learn English properly. Bilingual training programs are also a definite plus; it is convenient for children and bilingual teachers. However, this school also has its drawbacks, for example, the increased class size compared to Fred Assam School. Teachers’ salaries are also not very high, while the workload is quite huge.
Conclusion
I would prefer to work at East Elementary School as this school offers quite a high salary and satisfies my desire to teach and communicate in Spanish. In addition, until I’m ready to move to the big city, as Sioux Falls seems to me. The values and mission of East Elementary School seem to be more favorable and more understandable than those of Fred Assam Elementary. Although the desire to ensure the highest academic performance is commendable, I believe that priority should be given to the students’ psychological state. Therefore, the goals of East Elementary School are more in line with my own.
Moreover, I personally know some of the teachers from this school. All of them spoke positively about their experience in this place; especially they liked how the communication between employees and the training programs were organized. This school actively combats the manifestation of discrimination and racial prejudice, which is essential to me. Also, the provision of deductions to pension is an important criterion when choosing a place where I will work.
I think that during my job search, I will be guided by my values and desires. I will conduct a thorough analysis of potential jobs, perhaps contact the already employed employees. But it will be imperative for me to assess whether I will be able to work in a multicultural community or in a school with classes of more than 30 people. School data can be easily found on the appropriate resources, but difficulties can arise since it is often scattered. Therefore, I will try to structure the information I found in advance in a form similar to a review plan. I will contact the school’s management I plan to enroll in to make sure I feel comfortable working with my bosses.
References
National Center for Education Statistics. (2021a). East Elementary School. Web.
National Center for Education Statistics. (2021b). Fred Assam Elementary. Web.
Niche. (2017). Fred Assam Elementary School. Web.
Tillamook School District #9. (2018). A negotiated agreement between Tillamook School District #9 and Tillamook Education Association. Web.
Oregon Discovery. (2019). Dairyland Tillamook City. Web.
Rhodes, K. (2021). About us. East Elementary School. Web.